The ultimate sand trap—the Sahara Desert—recedes after a thousand years, revealing a mini golf course fit for an Egyptian king and queen! Putt through the dunes, vast throne room, and great pyramids as you search for clues and lost balls within the forgotten temple.
The course follows on from the Upside Town course in March, which featured interesting mechanics that shifted the behavior of the ball across a gravity playground without affecting the gravity of the player.
While that course was one of the more out there options in the Walkabout line-up, the game’s creator Lucas Martell told UploadVR that the next few DLC courses would be “more in that classic mini-golf vein.” Temple at Zerzura looks to be just that, promising sand dunes, pyramids and typical Egyptian fare across 18 holes.
Walkabout Mini Golf is one of the best multiplayer VR experiences available across several headset platforms including Quest, PC VR, Pico and soon PSVR 2. A ‘Pocket Edition‘ version of the game is also coming soon to iPhone with full cross-play support with VR platforms, allowing players on mobile devices to experience Walkabout alongside those playing in VR.
Obviously 2022 came and went without any further sign of Propagation’s release, but now we have a new date and confirmation of further release platforms. It’s set to launch on Quest 2 and PC VR via Steam on May 4 – a date which is creeping up on us faster than the game’s zombies.
While the new trailer doesn’t feature any gameplay, it does set up the game’s premise and some narrative threads. There’s a spooky tone, with the focus on a character named Emily who will be searching the zombie-ridden hotel for her twin sister Ashley.
In the absence of gameplay footage, an update from Wanadev on the Steam page does give a bit more info on what to expect:
The player will have to explore every corner of the Hotel, especially the darkest ones, in order to gather resources, key items and solve some puzzles. Sometimes it won’t be possible to run, you will have to confront and survive terrifying encounters. This is why every resource has to be used wisely. Don’t say we didn’t tell you.
Sounds interesting – we’re looking forward to creeping around the hotel next month when the game launches on May 4.
We have our first full month of PlayStation Store chart rankings for PSVR 2, with Pavlov taking out the top spot for the month.
Each month, the PlayStation blog posts a ranking of the top downloads for the PlayStation Store across each platform. Sony released PlayStation VR2 back in February, so it’s now included in the rankings and with March done and dusted, we have our first full month of download rankings for the new headset.
In both the US/Canada and EU region, Pavlov took out the number one spot, with the The Dark Pictures: Switchback in second for the former and Kayak VR in second for the latter. Other high-rankers include Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, Pistol Whip, Horizon Call of the Mountain, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution and, of course, the immutable Job Simulator creeping in at number 10 in both regions.
The post also includes a disclaimer that the download rankings only take PS Store purchases into account, and not game upgrades or games bundled with hardware (such as copies of Horizon Call of the Mountain bundled with the PSVR 2 headset). This also presumably explains the absense of two of the headset’s biggest draw cards – Resident Evil 8 and Gran Turismo 7 – as they’re both PS5 games that received updates adding PSVR 2 support, not separate purchases/releases.
PSVR 2 released on February 22, so technically there was a week and a bit’s worth of download rankings for February 2023 as well. That period saw Kayak VR take out first place in both regions, with Pavlov following behind in second and Horizon Call of the Mountain in third.
Amid Evil, which initially released four years ago on PC, is coming to VR platforms later this month. Boasting a diverse arsenal of weapons and responsive movement, it’s a great homage to classic boomer shooters, like Heretic, Unreal Tournament, Quake and DOOM.
From its environments to its guns to its art style, Amid Evil screams classic shooter. Based on my initial impressions from a 15-minute demo at PAX East, those highlights translate into VR very well.
Despite being a hotbed for shooters of all varieties, VR platforms aren’t home to many boomer shooters. The genre has a large emphasis on fast movement, making it a difficult style of game to implement in VR because of potential motion sickness. Amid Evil offers some options to adjust turning which might help accommodate some, but your mileage will vary depending on your personal susceptibility. I played with smooth turning and full stick motion and had no issues running, jumping and gunning. With that in mind, I also rarely have any trouble with motion sickness in VR, so others’ experiences will likely yield different results.
Comfort discussion aside, Amid Evil excels at movement. While I didn’t have a ton of time to really get down to brass tacks with the game’s mechanics, I never felt restricted in my ability to dart around each arena presented to me, especially with the massive arsenal I had at my disposal.
The demo featured a few mini combat encounters and the game presented me with a new weapon before each. All maintaining the classic sprite-like 3D look, every weapon in Amid Evil’s arsenal felt satisfying and smooth to use against my enemies. That said, I felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of options to choose from. Part of what makes weapon-based progression feel so special in a game like DOOM is that you start out with only a pistol and your fists. As you progress, picking up a new gun feels great because you have time to play around with it and experience its full utility before mastering it.
This may have been a result of the demo’s short length, but at times I felt like I was being funneled into different weapons without getting a solid feel for each individual implement of violence. This raises two big concerns. First, starting out the game with all seven weapons can rob any individual one of a chance to shine, thus artificially watering down the feel and depth of fast-paced combat. Second, if every weapon is available from the beginning, progression could very easily become stale.
That said, even if these concerns come to fruition, what’s important is that each weapon feels right. Amid Evil’s seven unique weapons each do just that, all while providing functionally different options for different combat scenarios.
Based on my short time with the game, I’m excited to see where Amid Evil takes me when it launches for Quest 2 and PC VR later this month. None of my minor issues with the game trump the fact that it just feels incredible. With creative stand-ins for shotguns, rocket launchers and the like, snappy movement and badass demonic set-dressing, it looks set to be a hit.
Tennis League VR is coming to Quest headsets this month, set to release on April 20.
Announced last year, Tennis League VR wants to bring the full tennis experience into virtual reality, with several options for play. Developer AnotheReality says it’s “made for aspiring pros, fitness fanatics and casual joes,” with both offline solo and online multiplayer modes.
You can check out some gameplay footage in the release date trailer above. AnotheReality says seasoned tennis players will be able to use real tennis techniques in-game, refining slices, lobs and topspin shots across the different modes. There will be a career mode for solo play and an academy mode for training, as well an online multiplayer mode to play against friends or spectate online matches.
There will also be arcade mode, featuring the freshly-revealed Droid Rush game shown in the trailer above and the pictures below. AnotheReality describes Droid Rush as “tennis meets tower defense,” where players will be taken off the court and thrust into a neon virtual environment to fend off robots using precise shots and sharp reflexes.
Tennis League VR will be available on the official Quest Store from April 20, but if you’re itching to check it out already then there’s a free demo available now via App Lab to tide you over.
Crimen – Mercenary Tales is a new VR release from The Wizards developer Carbon Studio, bringing 17th century arcade action to Quest 2 in May.
Featuring comic-inspired graphics, the game features eight tales narrated by eight characters, all set across the 17th century. You’ll be exploring a range of environments, such as castles, temples and shipwrecks, engaging in puzzles and using historically accurate weapons in “action-packed, gory arcade slasher” gameplay.
Here’s a description from Carbon Studio:
Raise yer glasses high, me hearties! Embark on a (bloody!) journey through eight swashbucklin’ tales of grandeur, riches, and legendary feats!
Slash your way through eerie castles, ancient temples, forsaken shipwrecks, and other astonishing locations while wielding a variety of historically accurate weapons directly from the 17th-century.
Experience visually captivating comic book graphics, while being entertained by the mercenary humor of the tavern’s patrons and their over-the-top achievements.
It looks like a promising release and we can’t wait to get our virtual hands on it next month. You can read more about the game over on its official site.
Hello Games launched the Interceptor update for No Man’s Sky across all platforms today, featuring major new mechanics for the planetary exploration game.
No Man’s Sky’s continues to layer on new features into the cross-platform title years on from its VR release in 2019. The latest “Interceptor” update focuses on a new “corruption” throughout the universe bringing with it major changes, alongside new “huge Sentinel Capital ships” to engage with in space combat.
The new update also includes new wrist interface controls for VR, allowing you to reposition the menus to any part of your hand. The patch notes also lists “significant improvement to image quality” on PSVR 2. We noted in our recent review that the game isn’t the most visually stunning experience on Sony’s new headset, but nonetheless a step-up from the offering on the original PSVR system. Hopefully the changes in the Interceptor update bump up the render resolution and resolve some of the blurriness that was present in the PSVR 2 release at launch.
SALVAGED INTERCEPTORS: Expand your fleet with your very own salvaged Sentinel Interceptor starship. Hunt down your perfect Sentinel ship, or collect a whole range of these sleek procedurally-generated Interceptors.
CORRUPTED PLANETS: A darkness spreads through the Sentinel horde. Many fortified worlds have succumbed to corruption, with strange crystals sprouting from the earth and their robot guardians twisted into bizarre new forms. Explore these purple-hazed worlds to find new buildings, crashed interceptors, secret equipment and more…
MOVABLE WRIST PROJECTORS: The high-tech projector interfaces for accessing menus in VR can now be grabbed and moved, allowing full custom control over their position. Reattach the wrist projectors to any location around your hand or Multi-Tool.
INTERCEPTOR VARIETY: Sentinel fleets have evolved. System authority ships now appear in hundreds of procedurally-generated variations, dramatically diversifying their silhouettes and styles.
CORRUPTED SENTINELS: The strange power flowing through corrupted worlds has warped the Sentinels beyond recognition. Colossal semi-arachnid machines stalk these discordant worlds, ready to pounce upon unwary Travellers. Those who take on the corrupted swarm should beware their devastating flamethrowers and long-distance explosives.
INTERCEPTOR COCKPIT: For the first time, step inside a Sentinel ship and see the universe from the perspective of an Interceptor. Operate and interact with this advanced Sentinel technology up-close, piloting an Interceptor ship from its unusual vestigial cockpit.
HARVEST THE CORRUPTION: As you wander dissonant worlds, direct your Mining Laser towards the ethereal radiant shards bursting from the terrain. Collect the anomalous crystals to fuel your salvaged Sentinel technology, or harvest and refine new resources directly from the remains of defeated Sentinel forces.
Fruit Ninja VR 2 now has a final release date, set to launch later this week on April 6 for Quest, Pico and PC VR.
Halfbrick Studios says the sequel will feature the return of Classic, Arcade and Zen modes from the original, now “juicier than ever.” Fruit Ninja VR 2 also features a new bow weapon, which will let you aim and shoot down fruit with arrows instead of the regular slice and dice method.
A new rhythm mode will “challenge you to keep up with the pace of the track,” while multiplayer mode will let you compete with other players and show off your slicing skills. If you’d rather use bow in multiplayer, then the new Apple Head multiplayer mode is a perfect fit, while the Social Hub offers a place for players to relax and chat with others in-game.
Halfbrick also says that there will be a new world relaxing area called Fruitasia, where you’ll be able to “take a break from the competition” and “explore, relax and slice to your heart’s content.”
The game is currently available on Steam for PC VR in Early Access, but will go into full release later this week alongside other platforms. On Quest, it will support Quest 2 and Quest Pro but not the original Quest headset.
After multiple delays, Gambit! is set to release this week on April 6 for Quest and PC VR.
XREAL Games, the team behind Zero Caliber VR, first unveiled the co-operative VR heist shooter back in 2020. Initially set to release in 2021, it then faced delays to May 2022 and then again to December 2022. The day before its December 2022 release, it was pushed once again to Q1 2023. However, the release now seems set in stone, with a Quest store page live and a new date set for later this week on April 6.
We spoke to XREAL Games about the content that will be available at release and the changes made in light of the continued delays. Since the end of last year, XREAL Games told us that the team has been “focusing on core gameplay polish and optimisation, moving the HUD to a wrist watch, cross-play server stability” and more.
The team also revealed a new multiplayer PvP mode available at launch called Municipal Mayhem. You can check out some footage of the mode above, but the gist is that it’s basically a short and sweet, Battle Royale-like PvP mode for four players. The last man standing wins, with the emphasis truly on short sessions with matches that should only last around 2-5 minutes each.
Players will collect points in Municipal Mayhem (200 for 1st place, scaling down to -100 for 4th place), which will move them up and down on a tournament ladder and progress towards unlocks for new masks, skins and other content.
Alongside Municipal Mayhem and a classic four-player Deathmatch PvP mode, Gambit! will of course also feature a main campaign mode, playable in single player or co-op with up to four players. Previously, XReal Games promised a 20+ hour campaign for the game. When UploadVR asked about estimated campaign playtime ahead of launch this week, XREAL Games said the studio would rather not make any public estimations.
There’s also a new game mode in the works called Consumer Cleanup, which is a zombie mode “with a twist” that also includes a “completely new campaign narrative.” However, it won’t make it into the game for release – XREAL Games says it will arrive as a post-launch update instead and claims it will double the game’s playtime.
Gambit! is available later this week on Quest and PC VR for $19.99, with full cross-platform play support on day one.
Bloody combat simulator Gorn is now available on PlayStation VR2 for PS5.
In a bit of surprise news last week, Devolver Digital announced that Gorn is now available for PSVR 2 on PS5. Even better, those players who already own the game on PS4 for the original PSVR can upgrade to the PS5 version for PSVR 2 for free.
The combat simulator was first released for PC VR in 2019, before being ported across to the original PSVR and Quest platform in subsequent years. Across all platforms, Devolver Digital says that the game has now sold over 1.5 million copies – half a million more since it passed the one million milestone almost two years ago.
While the release itself was a surprise, there were already some indications that Gorn might be arriving on PSVR 2. In February, a German PlayStation blog post seemingly leaked four unconfirmed PSVR 2 games in the post’s tags and gallery section, including Gorn. The leak also listed a sequel to Solaris: Offworld Combat (which First Contact Entertainment later confirmed) and ports of Wanderer and Project Wingman. Given the Solaris sequel has been confirmed and Gorn is now also available, here’s hoping we see the other two arrive in the near future.
If you don’t already own Gorn on PS4, the PS5 version for PSVR 2 is available now for $19.99. If you want to learn more about the game, you can read our Gorn review of the original 2019 release.
